JP On Gaming

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Well I am likely going to get in trouble for posting this but I just have to share this. For the past few months, I have been working with a number of artists to create NPCs, vistas and other interesting things.

When yesterday, I received this pic in my inbox, I was elated. I told him "I need a drow woman with a face that says I'm better than you". In other word someone you would described as a total B*TCH. Yes in all caps! He's come through for me BIG TIME! The look on her face is exactly what I was looking for. She is just so... Haughty.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

The Sun King still looms large over France to this day. He ruled over a long period that saw many changes across Europe (1642-1715). He faced rebellion, a domineering mother, a Machiavellian prime minister, skimming treasurers, shrewd advisers, bossy mistresses, and a personal ambition to match. He oversaw perhaps the largest expansion of French influence: militarily, artistically, architecturally, socially, and diplomatically. French is often referred to as "la langue de Molière" (Moliere's tongue), Moliere was a playwright active during the Sun King. His farces and satire still beloved by most.

In short, Louis ruled over what many Frenchmen see as a Golden Age. In so many ways, he embodies what every Frenchman wants to be: successful, self-assured, with the world revolving around him.

He was the Sun.

He was the center of the world.

His life can be split into three major phases: the kid, the glorious king and the somber king.

The Kid

As a kid, Louis was something of a brat. He was spoiled and demanding. Discipline must have been lacking.
Crowned while still young, most of this period he spent under the thumb of his mother Ann of Austria and lover, Cardinal Mazarini. Reading about the rebellious era that was the 1630s. An era known as the Fronde (trans. sling) where high ranking members of the nobility, church and bourgeoisie rebelled against the Queen-Mother's and Mazarini's authority. One unique element of this rebellion, unlike the Civil War in England which happened roughly at the same time, was that the lead Frondeurs sought to become Regent and push out Mazarini.

Reading the act of the various protagonists during that period reads like a swashbuckling novel complete with moonlight escapes, razzle-dazzle presentations, bribery, military campaigns, exiles, and all this on a backdrop of the Thirty Year War (1618-48). The French armies of that era found ways to victory, namely at Rocroy in '43, which bolstered the Princes' prestige, making them bold enough to rise against the Queen-Mother.

That right, France was involved in that war on the side of protestant princes. Whereas England has only Scotland as an immediate neighbor, France was nominally at war with the Holy Roman Empire and Spain throughout that period.

On this, the Cardinal defeated his enemies, leaving their power broken and preparing the way for the chubby boy-king to become the autocrat he would become.

Using Louis the child Louis as a child is a pawn on a game played by the kingdom's greats and powerful. He who controls the person of the king, controls France.

Strangely, one thing I believe guaranteed his safety was the fact that he had a younger brother, referred to as Monsieur. This ensured that Louis XIII's line would remain strong. But also, with the Queen-Mother or Mazarin always within arm's reach of Monsieur, an accident happening to Louis would keep the power in their hands.

Mazarini, in spite of his many flaws (he was untrustworthy, covetous, vengeful, over-ambitious, egotistical...). In spite of these flaws, the Cardinal remain intensely loyal to young Louis. Not only that, but he also taught the young king the art of statecraft. I can imagine the Cardinal explaining to Louis - and French literature of the period and about the period, present this relation as one between a fatherless boy and a caring uncle. Mazarini, I believed wanted - and succeeded - in making young Louis independent and personally both interested and apt in the affairs of State.

This leads to a number of elements: a young child of power, two opposing factions of powerful people each with , a power vacuum, and a foreign threat that prevent the parties from focusing all their efforts and resources against each other.

Other Louis of History

There are a few similar situations in history where these conditions are together. Let's see what happened. Louis is clearly an exception.

Alexander IV the infant son of Alexander the Great became a pawn early in the diadochy when his father's generals split the empire between themselves. For a few years, he was "protected", but after the generals began to crown themselves, 12-year old Alexander was poisoned. Unlike with Louis, the generals wanted and saw their opportunity for power.

The Tower Princes Later, during the War of the Roses in England, the Lord Regent, Richard, Duke of Gloucester would "protect" his two nephews from assassins by putting them in the Tower of London. It wasn't long before the two princes "disappear" from history. And Richard III is crowned.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Around Christmas time, I won this Khador auction. The minis reeked from cigarette smoke SO bad I had to dunk them in simple green for two weeks to get the stink off. One of those minis was a metal juggernaut. I painted it with a classic paint job. The result is a simple but very usable model. This one I do not plan to use myself, as I plan to sell off (note to readers: make a good offer now!)

One thing about those metal Khador jacks. They are really heavy! They could be used as weapons! Like the classic GW Space marine dreadnaughts. The pose is very stiff, especially when compared to the the plastic jacks.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It is one thing that strikes me as funny in the world of RPG writers, its not long that one quickly learns and meets other writers, publishers and fans alike quickly. There are number of name one sees for a while then suddenly conversations sparks, ideas get bounced back and forth and new products spring to life.

This happened to me a few times and I know it happened with others. One such person I got to know "through the grapevine" and with whom I talked about a number of projects, trading ideas and critiquing work - all privately, is Christina Stiles. Now if you don't know her, you are missing out. She is one of the most prolific writers and someone who is so easy to get along with. She has been involved in a number of projects already: Bite Me! (Guide to playing Lycanthropes in Pathfinder), The Grande Temple of Jing (which I am about ready to give up on) and a number of other small projects

Almost by chance, I was on Kickstarter - I know I should not go on there any more, but I am like a moth to a flame as I go over good products. And well... I am looking for deals.

Guess what I found?

Christina was running a Kickstarter about witches and warlocks! I have been involved in a game of Reign of Winter playing a winter witch for about a year. Katja has been the subject of many jokes and is a very interesting character to play. As I've been playing so many extrovert characters, she is such a change, a challenge, and a delight to play.

So of course, I have a bias towards this new product! I immediately contacted Christina (again) to discuss this product. And WOW! In just a few email message, I love what this book will contain. Plus it won't be a small book. NOOOOO! It will be TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY SIX pages of Witch goodness! Really! 256! I'm sure you can read the nerdgasm I am having right now as I write this.

In fact, I think I will start a new tag on the blog dedicated to those things I go gaga over. Nerdgasms for short. I have been finding so many cool things online these days, things I JUST have to share.

Go on, have a look-see for yourself! The kickstarter is live now and with just a little more than two weeks to go... Link to KickStarter.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

First, the Crafting Guide has been officially released! You can get it as part of the Campaign Toolkit, available for free on RPGNow.com. Get it by clicking this link. Did I mentioned it was free?

Second, the prologue to "Legacy Of Lies" is finally out. It is part of the yearly Narratives, which is free for those who purchase the yearly bundle! You can get all the Narratives here and the bundle here.

Third, those who belong to the Legacies Facebook Group already know that I have started working on the playtests for Origins.

The next step is the update to the Legacies Campaign guide. It will include some new additional resources, new options, the FAQ I posted a few weeks ago.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Since FOE started back in October, I have been working and teaching myself a number of new skills. Since LPJ isn't the one doing the layouts, I've had to do them myself. I have been listening to a lot of feedback about a number of things: the look, the layout, the colors, everything.

My own skills with MS-Word have improved as I delve more and more into the capacity and limitations of the tool. For example, the Yr 2 adventures are fairly bland and straight-up PDFs of the adventures. Meanwhile, as we moved into 93AU, I began to add images, from the public domain, some commissions. Slowly.

Since then I came up with a number of small products I published under the "Gostor" imprint (thanks to Mike Dulock for help on the name). These small products have done well for me, but I want to push the look and feel of them. I have two Gostor products I am finishing, both of them system-agnostics, so they'll work for any game system.

The two products are "While on the road..." a product that details how to create and present an overland trek to your players rather than simply saying "you get there". Or "you get there and have to fight those X monsters." And I've filled it with GM tips

The other is called Not bolted down, something my regular players will recognize from playing with me. It is a light framework to create valuable items that stand out. I even provide real-life examples such as Fabergé eggs and the Mona Lisa! That's right. I consolidated and expanded a lot of personal notes for this one.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Coming to the end of the combatants... For the finale, I kept the lion that ActionMan loves so much (and that he keeps eating us with). These things are really good in play. Play with these kitties at your own risks!!! My own fighters were eaten so many times by these, the true kings of the Arena...

Monday, May 19, 2014

Finally, you can register for Legacies events at both Origins and GenCon are now available! You can search both sites for events called "Legacies". There are no Legacies events on Saturday (and none on Sunday at Origins).

Personally, I will be playing a mix of Arcanis and Witch Hunter in my off time. I am looking forward for to seeing my character grow in both those campaigns... I really hope my main Arcanis character (the one with "Morning Glory") can rise to the second tier of the game. Then she would really turn into someone even more interesting to play.

I have been talking about the events but I never put the blurbs up for you. So without any further delays, here are the blurbs.

Legacies: Dousing fire with blood

94-LC-01 The Reis Confederacy is a turbulent place, where might makes right. When a whole city disappears, leaving behind a shimmering dome of energy, the Imperatrix must act. For APLs 3-7

Legacies: As if it could get any better

94-LC-02 In spite of constant assaults, the flag of the Arman Protectorate still flies over Trovaska. More clouds are gathering over the city. This time the danger comes from within. For APLs 3-7

Legacies: Best served Cold

94-LI-01 The Empress will hold games in Nyssa. It is said she will pardon her brother for the murder of Empress Mercy. Will the falling snow be nothing more than a shroud upon the land? For APLs 3-7

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Looking back at this last decade of my life yields a lot of major changes. Now I have only been writing this blog for five years now, and plan on writing for many more years to go.

I held three jobs in that time, we bought three houses, moved five times (six for me), had three children, I got married to my loving wife, moved to a different country, lived in two states I never thought I would love so much, I became a published author of "real books", became a publisher myself, oversaw five different region of organized play, made so many new friends, visited states I only read about, seen places I never thought I would visit and want to go back, we did road trips, I taught my son about hockey, football and wrestling, I attended an NFL game with my father for his 70th birthday, I saw my beloved Montreal Canadiens hockey club play in an away game, I saw hockey games in three different cities, I saw Rush's 30th anniversary, saw shows from Sonata Arctica and Edguy, attended three different Comic-Cons.

Gaming wise, I got paid for my first commission (in money, not in book copies), we witnessed the death of 3.5, the arrival of 4e, the rise of Pathfinder, the death of 4e, the play-test of 5e, Akos, NeoExodus, I attended my first Gencon, my two eldest daughters attended their first con, I played with them on their first table, I published my first miniature game, started and continued this blog.

This barely scratches the surface.

Which brings us to now. I must say that I have more projects and plans these days than I had ten years ago when I was still just dabbling in the craft of writing. When I still tried to understand why I was both fascinated and intrigued by this thing that was new to me (I only really started writing seriously since 2000).

I must say that I thank the Good Lord for his many blessings.

JP

PS: The FOE sale is going real well, and since my Hockey team won last night (Go Habs Go!) I have decided to extend the sale until Sunday night! FOE 40% off sale

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

From all the reading I did, female gladiators (a gladiatrix) were generally something that was relegated to the role of entertainment. These ladies were not taken as seriously as the men.

The models seem to support that view. My case and point: they have nothing to cover or protect their breasts. I must admit adds to the spectacle... Bah I like watching boobs! So these ladies are

Sorry ladies, it's not new that you get no respect in sport!

To help redeem myself (a little), in Moritari Te Salutamus, gladiatrices and gladiators both use the same set of statistics. So schoolmasters, don't be afraid to throw one of the these ladies to the lions. Literally.

The lady on the left is a heavy while the other two are lights (again using Moritari te Salutamus classifications). I like the one with the trident and her "mohawk".

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Another of the Stonehaven Gnomes... This Pirate was one of those models whose art really attracted me. I love pirates and this one was definitely the pick of the crop. There was another model I wanted to paint - I'll post it later.

For the color, I took my inspiration from Lord Rockbottom for my Warmachine collection.

Friday, May 9, 2014

I bought these guys around Christmas. They came painted. Heavily. I had to keep them in simple green FOREVER. At least two soakings and a LOT of scraping. They came to me broken and with a few tubes missing. I rebuilt the cross on the leader and thought about putting a banner. One of the choir's cross is simply broken, I attempted to repair it, but the surface was too small.

In the end, I decided not to fix it and instead focus on the scroll. That's why that guy has a burning heretic on his scroll.

Funny thing: I later got another leader - complete this time - in a random lot. I don't know what I will do with the other one. I don't have to choose just yet.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Finally

The maps is simple, but effective. Its colors fit the overall theme and I did not find any names that made me go "WTF?"

The ponies within are well-drawn merging My Little Pony imagery, while outfitting them like regular adventurers. Some parts of the book like the deities and NPCs are particularly nice.

Surprisingly, some of the chapter headers aren't as good. It is not bad, but it is not as enjoyable as the rest of the book.

I will go for a 4/5

Highlights & Organization

Some of the color used for highlight clash with the rest of the document. The Cyan and yellow pastels for the feats and special powers really clash, and not in a way that make me want to read them. The colors are very "poniesque", but they do not draw my eye the way they should and I found myself looking at the text right after them. Interesting since that is where most of the crunch is. When you scroll and reach these pages it breaks the flow of reading.

Races then racial bloodlines and feats, then more races with their bloodlines and feats was reminicent of the Advanced Race Guide, an organization I did not like at all.

Another thing I found difficult to follow were the headers. More important titles are difficult to find in the text. For example, on page 57, a page dedicated to "Optional Rules". The main header is the same size as the rules themselves.

The setting information is not together and requires a lot of flipping back and forth. For example the campaign traits are all at the end, many of which are era-related. Racial traits similarly appear at the end. I would really have preferred to see everything together, much like the Core Rule Book.

The organization of the book is perhaps its greatest failing. I am a big fan of trying to keep everything together for ease of reference.

The magic items formatting was bad.

I have to rate this 2/5

Writing

Now in spite of the organization, I really found myself reading stuff everywhere in the book. The writing is good. As I stated previously, I came into this expecting to laugh myself silly and throw this out as mental masturbatory fanfic. While the fanfic part is obvious, I became engrossed in the story, the world, pretty much everything. This product is one I actually enjoyed.

The rules, for the most part (the only major flaw is the vampiric bloodline), but that can be GM-errata'd fairly easily. The feats have flavor and present a game balance that works. The spells, the traits, the history, the world, all around, I found myself enjoying the read, almost like a guilty pleasure.

I would say 4.5/5 which I will round up to 5, because most of the issues won't bother many other people.

Overall

My daughters (9 and 7) LOVED the idea of playing ponies and they both loved the art. They have been asking me to play ponies in Pathfinder Society... That would be interesting... I don't seriously expect to run a full-blown campaign of it, but one-shots with the girls are a definite possibility.

This is a solid product, with good writing, solid art, and a decent setting. The flaw is its organization, but in spite of that, everything is there. I could see one-shots filling up very quickly at Gencon.

Overall, I must say this is a solid 4 out of 5 (a 5/5 for fans of ponies). Reusability of the product, without having ponies is limited.

I would like to see an adventure published in Everglow, see how they plan on using everything together.

I will look for more from Silver Games in the future.

For full disclosure, I received a free copy in return for providing a fair and honest review.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

A while ago, David Silver posted on the Pathfinder Online Collective that he was looking for reviewers for his Pathfinder setting, Ponyfinder. Now I am not interested in My Little Pony in any way and I took this as a "let's see how stupid this can be." I expected a product designed for fanboys wanting to play ponies.

Next, it is a pathfinder product. So the basic tropes exists: levels, alignment, race, class, etc. In that Ponyfinder is very easy to adapt to any campaign setting. A Pathfinder player would be at home if given a character made with these rules.

Pony Creation Rules

Races

Let me start by saying that when I really expected it to be fairly terrible. However, I what I read surprised me greatly.

First, ponies are fey. This really surprised me (I expected magical beasts). The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. The ponykind race and their rules are pretty tight and well-written. I actually had a number of idea about how to import some of the ideas into other settings. This could make a very interesting encounter.

One little gem: the fingerless rule. Yes, ponies are fingerless! The rules here are well-written, tight and allows for ponies to actually be playable in any setting! From this point on (page 9), my initial apprehension turned to excitement. I wanted to read more and see how I could use these rules in my own game.

As a curmudgeon, getting me to want to read more is a huge win for Dave and his Silver Games crew.

Next come the alternate race traits, presented as "packages". Nine alternative ponies allow you to play a unicorn, pegasus or a zebra. There are a few traits that can be used to create a truly "super" pony. Some of these could really cause game balance issue, but a quick "no" by the GM should address most of these issues.

Each of the alternate ponies are flavorful in their descriptions. The sea horse being the one I see with fewer usage, but mostly for the same reason sea elves are not the most common elven race encountered.

Perhaps the biggest issue I have with some of the races is their ability to fly, from level one. This is something that is common in Pathfinder: flying at low-level is a game winner.

New Rules options

We are presented with a new bloodline: Unification which is very pony-like and allows the pony sorcerer to gain abilities from other breeds of ponies.

The second one I have more issues with and would outright prevent its selection. The writing here is not as crisp, which is a shame because the fluff was really great: one of your ancestor "got it on" with vampires. The 1st level ability allows the sorcerer to inflict negative levels with a touch attack. However, it cannot be used to kill someone. The other ability, Vampire's Gift is written as follows:

It seems to be missing something. Does the pony get DR 5/magic at lvl1 and DR (1/2 levels, up to 5)/silver? That is extremely powerful.

After these two entries, is a list of "Ponies as ..." which gives some information on the classes and the recommended breed for each of them. While I am not naturally drawn to these sections, I made an effort to go through. The writing is good and interesting. Definitely something to guide a new player build a better pony.

Then we are shown a number of racial class archetypes. One that particular drew my eye was the Elemental Savant for Druid replaces all the animal ability with elemental-related powers. I really think this one was a stroke of genius. LOVE IT.

Next comes the section on the new feats. The feats presented herein all add or improve ponies' abilities and racial traits. I think this was a very good move by the team.

Other races come next: I found them less interesting to tell the truth: you can play a cloven (goat), flutterpony (pony-butterfly), griffons (well... griffons), phoenix wolf (fire wolf), purrsian (winged cats), steelheart (construct ponies), sun cats (fey lion). These are interesting, but I wasn't sold on the steelheart (too much like the clockwork pony racial archetype).

Extended options

The deity section is interesting, presenting a small but working pantheon. However, the art of the deities is one step above. One element I liked were the "revelations" and "visitation" entries. Revelation tells the GM how the deity provides its followers with insight or guidance while Visitation gives the basics of how the deity would appear to a worshipper. These two make the god very usable, particularly in a campaign where they interfere frequently with the world.

The Games and sports is interesting because it gives insight into pony society. I read this with interest.

The height/ weight/ age section comes next. It is fine, but not something I really care about.

Next section is Ponykind as companions or familiars. These two are particularly interesting and, I suspect could be the one section that will find its way into most games. This section has some minor stat block formatting issues, but the rules elements are present. I like the rules for those who may want to use their pony as a mount. I am not so sure about the pony as familiar. Not because of the pony stats, but because they gain additional abilities. This part is not as clear as the rest, it seems to indicate that the pony is also a full-on wizard, that is pretty powerful.

The optional rules are some of the most important part of how to incorporate them into the rest of the rules: options to remove the type (fey) advantage vs humanoid, Options on how to use ponies as ponies, etc. These rules are interesting and will give the prospective Pony-GM some food for thought in preparing for their game.

History of Everglow

We are then presented with a history of Everglow. The writing is fine, but the real gems in there is in the breakdown of the history. Each era has a number of factions that would allow a GM to create organizations. These are presented in a clean format, with each group having an advantage and a liability. In addition to that, faction traits - much like other Paizo products are present. As usual, the traits have some that are WAY too good and others not so much.

These eras include alternative pony traits and rule options. I am almost disappointed that some of these options are not part of the main rules.

Notable NPCs, groups

Next is a gazetteer, in a format consistent with classic products. These vary in interest, but the writing is solid.

Next we have a section on famous ponies. The art here, like in the deity section is nice. The NPCs are interesting. The element I was greatly pleased with is in the GM notes. After the "public" history, we are given a something for the GM to use them. Giving ideas on how to use the Pony, with his/ her motivations goals and how to integrate that pony in your game.

Then we are given three notable groups. After the interesting groups from the eras, these fell flat to me. They just weren't exciting. I guess my main gripe has to do with them not being as good as the previous ones.

Plot Hooks

The plot hooks here are simple, but effective. I read them a few times and could see myself expanding most of them into adventures.

Pony ingenuity and Magic

This is the section for new goodies. The big flaw equipment is costs and weights are not easy to find, some referring to the CRB for prices and weight. A simple issue, but just a tad nagging.

The formatting for the magic items is more problematic, a lot of blank spaces makes the start/ end of items difficult to find. It resembles Pathfinder format, but it isn't. Too bad, because the items are interesting and flavorful. I love the queen's slippers in particular.

The spells are fine. I found a few minor editing issues, but they don't feel overpowered and are flavorful.

Next come the new traits.

Bestiary

The bestiary section has a few creatures that range from CR 1/3 to 12. The creatures are flavorful and I did not find any issue with them. Their potential for reusability is limited but in an Everglow campaign, I would expect to see them rather regularly.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

After yesterday's battle report using Moritari te Salutamus, FOE's first and exciting miniature game, it is time for more miniatures.

I said already that I painted my gladiators to represent a very multiethnic gathering of fighters. Today's group are all native North-African warriors with dark skin.

The one on the right had his hair colored - whether by using vinegar or caked his head with mud. The model had a broken weapon, so I used an old GW plastic sword and voila! He is now ready to engage his opponents in the arena.

Monday, May 5, 2014

When I started posting my gladiator collection back in March as part of Gladiator Tuesdays, I mentioned I was re-tooling my mini skirmish game, Moritari Te Salutamus (We who are about die, salute you). Well I dusted off the game, and expanded it to make it simpler and quicker.

So one early morning, I got together: a dedicated gamer (me), a non-gamer (my wife), and two of the kids to see if they would understand the game, after all the changes made.

I used my GameMastery flip-mat as an arena. That mat is generally useless, so I was very happy to have found a use for it.

As a visual aid, we used poker chips. A white chip indicates a light gladiator, a blue indicate a heavy, and each wound used a red chip.

The gladiator schools were:

Action Man Three lions

JP Two lights and one heavy

Julie Two heavies and one light

Kitty Two heavies and one light

Without going through all the details, I was the first to lose a fighter (eaten by a lion). Kitty was the first one to lose all her fighters (once Action Man understood he could take out his sister, he really got into the game). After that, I was taken out and Action Man's last lion (which was almost dead), took out my wife's last gladiator.

This next shot is after Kitty was taken out and my last man desperately - but eventually futilely - try to fight the last of the lions with my wife's last man entering the arena.

The game had a number of unexpected twist, mostly due to Action Man's extra aggressive attitude. He really liked the game and the idea of having his lions eat people - whether his sister, his mother or his father. He really got into the game.

In this pose, he displays his three terrifying lions. He is eating his hand like he ate the rest of us.

The kids enjoyed the game very much because it was so quick and they were constantly engaged. The mechanics for playing Caesar and the thumbs up or thumb down they really enjoyed.

You can find this little gem on RPGNow.com. It was officially released this past Sunday!

Father of 3. Avid role player since 1984. Since 2000, I have been writing
role-playing material for events around the world.
I am the owner of FOE (First Ones Entertainment) and lead the Legacies Organized Play campaign. My other interests include history and miniature war-gaming.